Real Reality
by Wallyhorse
Summary: Actually done as a story suggestion, this is based on real-life firing of Jennifer Crisafulli on September 30, 2004, one day after she was "fired" on NBC's show "The Apprentice."
1. Part One

Title: "Real Reality"

Author: Walt

Feedback: Of course!!

Disclaimers: This is strictly a story suggestion. The main "L & O" characters are owned by Dick Wolf, and are only borrowed for this story suggestion. This story is ripped from the September 30, 2004, real-life firing of Jennifer Crisfulli from her real job one day after she had been "fired" on "The Apprentice" for remarks made on that show  
  
The story opens on a seasonable, early October Tuesday night on the top floor of an office building on 7th Avenue that goes from 31st to 32nd street, directly across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. Cleaning personnel were doing their normal work after almost everyone had left for the night. The floor and several below it were home to Joseph Friedman Realtors, a top firm in New York know for it's multi-million dollar dealings of homes and co-ops owned by some of the wealthiest people in the city. Two female maids (Jeanne Santos and Horatia Maldanado) who are both Hispanic are in the just-cleaned out office of Susanne Arceaneux, who was the firm's big "up-and-comer" before being fired that Saturday for comments she had made during the time she was a contestant on a Reality Show "Madison's Protege."  
  
Jeanne said to Horatia, "Can you believe the comments made on that show against the Jews got Ms. Arceneaux fired?", with Horatia replying, "Those comments were unbeliveable. She never was like that in front of us."  
  
Jeanne then said, "That had to be the editing. I hear about how those shows are edited to make someone look like something they arent."  
  
Horatio then replied: "That's what Ms. Arceaneaux said. She said it was done in a way to make it look like she was a racist. She never showed anything like that", with Jeanne then saying "Wait!" as both suddenly hear the sound of loud footprints running, with both peeking out into the hall and from the back seeing what looked like a head of long, dark brownish hair running to catch the elevator. The women then resume their work until they then hear another suspicious noise, prompting them to walk outside.  
  
"Oh My God!! Mr. Friedman!!", Jeanne yelled upon seeing him walk out of his office badly bleeding from his stomach, collapsing to the floor while Horatia called 911 from a phone close to them.  
  
"She shot me!!", said Mr. Friedman to Jeanne before he died right after saying that., with Jeanne kneeling next to him, not caring her uniform was becoming soaked in blood as she did try to do what she could to keep him alive, putting towels around Mr. Friedman to try and stop the bleeding..  
  
Joe and Ed arrive on the scene a short while after, with Jeanne explaining the blood on her uniform before explaining what happened to the Detectives, "Horatia and I were cleaning as we normally were, and just like he always would on Monday nights, he was watching the football game. After checking with him to see if he needed anything, we went to clean up the office over there", where Ed walked over to as he noticed something on the nameplate, while Jeanne continued to explain to Joe what happened: "While we were in the office, we suddenly heard what were very loud footsteps, and we saw someone with long hair, running through the halls to catch the elevator", with Jeanne then having to stop on the verge of tears.  
  
Horatia then said: "Everything seemed fine so we went back to work, but then we hear something else, and head out again, with Mr. Friedman coming out to our horror and collapsing. He did say to us something about a 'btch' shooting him."  
  
"Sure looks like someone did", then said Joe as Ed then signaled Joe to come over to where he was, with uniformed officers then talking to Jeanne and Horatia.  
  
"Susanne Arceneaux", then said Ed as he gently hit the door with one of his knuckles..  
  
"Who's she?" asked Joe, with Ed replying: "You obviously forgot. She's the one who was on that show that looks for someone to run one of Richard Madison's companies that airs Sunday nights."  
  
"Now I remember, the one who's as big as Donald Trump", then said Joe.  
  
Ed replied by saying, "Yeah, him. He has two teams go around and do various kinds of tasks. Susanne was in the one a week ago Sunday where she was the team leader with them running one of the big restaurant chain outlets for a night, and her team lost. She later blamed the loss on two older women, saying how these 'Jewish' women hated everything about the place and they caused the team to lose, with one of the other candidates who without her seeing Susanne gives the middle finger to and the other woman comments about how she could not understand what she was talking about because she's Jewish herself . All of what Susanne said was caught on camera."  
  
Jeanne overheard Joe and Ed and walked over to say to the Detectives, "Horaitia and I were talking about that show where Ms. Arceneaux made those remarks. They didn't seem like her at all. She was never anything like that. Mr. Friedman in fact really liked her. We were shocked to find out she was cleaning out her office when we saw her earlier."  
  
At that point, forensic investigators come to The Detectives to note in Mr. Friedman's office they found two bullets in the chair, which The Detectives clearly see when they walk into his office. After examining the evidence briefly, the detectives go back to Jeanne and Horatia and ask them if they heard anything like a gun. Both said they did not, with them then being escorted by a female uniformed officer to where they could change since both uniforms needed to be taken by the police due to blood being on them.  
  
By that point, a woman with super-short dark hair wearing a beige leather bomber jacket and miniskirt with matching pumps ran over to where investigators were putting Joseph's body into a bag to be transported to the morgue.  
  
"No!!", the woman shouted, covering her mouth afterwards as she was sobbing.  
  
"Who are you?" Joe asked the woman.  
  
"Arlene Friedman, his wife", she replied.  
  
Joe would then console Arlene for her loss and then ask her if she knew anyone who wanted to hurt him, with Arlene replying in a raised voice: "That btch Susanne Arceneaux! He fired her for those remarks on that show, and she had to want revenge for that!", then crying again.  
  
"What makes you so sure she'd want to kill him?", asked Joe once Arlene regained her composure.  
  
Maria replied, "What do you think? She makes a fool of herself on national TV, embarasses this company and has the gall to expect to remain employed after everything my husband did for her? I wouldn't have even waited the week he did to fire her like he did!"  
  
"What did he do exactly?", asked Joe.  
  
"He was so proud of her while she was on the show, putting out all these full page ads while she was on, and this is the thanks he gets?", then said Arlene in a very angry tone before she heads with the body to the morgue.  
  
"Wow! I can't remember in all my years someone hating someone that much", then said Joe to Ed once Arlene walks away with uniformed officers.  
  
Ed then replied, "Know what you mean."  
  
After going through some details with forensic officers, Joe and Ed return to the 2-7 where waiting for them are Joseph's first wife Nancy and grown son from his that marriage, Carl.  
  
"I can't believe he's gone, but I didn't go there when I found out because I knew that tramp would be there", said Nancy to The Detectives.  
  
"Are you talking about Susanne Arceneaux?", Ed would ask Nancy.  
  
"Not her! I meant the woman he left me for, Arlene Abbatiello", replied Nancy.  
  
"His second wife?", asked Ed, with Nancy replying in a bit of angry tone, "Who do you think?", before calming down and continuing, "I can't believe Joseph left me for that secretary of his that dresses like total trash now that she's a realtor! It would not surprise me if she used her sex appeal to sell apartments, especially to single men as some seem to like that 'butchy' hairstyle of hers. If it were Susanne Arceneaux he left me for, even that I would not have been surprised about, as she's much better looking than that piece of trash Arlene. What he saw in Arlene beats me."  
  
"Obviously neither of you are close to Arlene?", asked Ed.  
  
Carl then said, "Naturally. Arlene's 33, the same age as me. I would never have gone out with someone like her even if you paid me to. That woman always gave me the creeps the way she looked. I could not believe she became my stepmom."  
  
Nancy followed Carl: "The worst part about that was, Joseph handed me the papers that said he wanted a divorce on our 30th wedding anniversary. That became final six months later, and not even 24 hours after the divorce went final he married Arlene in Vegas three and a half years ago."  
  
"Ouch!", said Joe upon hearing the last remark before then saying to Nancy: "I've never been married, but I do know if a woman left me like that for another man, I'd be none too thrilled to say the least."  
  
Nancy then replied: "Yeah. It hurt a lot when Joesph left me, though at least I have half the company as he did consider me a big factor in becoming as big as it did. Joseph and I worked together for a lot of years in building that company to where it is now."  
  
"How so?", asked Joe, with Nancy replying, "I was one of his first hires when he started it with three old walk-up buildings he got in Boro Park in 1966 when the landlord who had them went belly-up."  
  
"You mean Boro Park in Brooklyn?", asked Ed, with Nancy replying, "Yes. He got those buildings for next-to-nothing, and he and I and a few other hires went and fixed the buildings ourselves working day and night, being able as a result to charge the highest rents in the area since they were far superior to anything else where they were at that time, even with rent control as it was then. That was something we took a lot of pride in doing, never mind the money we were able to charge then. We then fell in love a couple of years later and married in '70 when I became pregnant with Carl."  
  
"And in all fairness, he did love my mother, and both were good parents to me and Lorraine. She'd be here now except she's a senior at Stanford and is coming in on the red eye", then said Carl, referring to his younger sister when talking to the Detectives.  
  
"OK, but do you still work there at all?", then asked Ed to Nancy, with Nancy replying, "Yes. Carl and I run the office in Mineola, right near the train station there. We do much of the selling of homes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, which include many in the Hamptons that have sold for millions, even some in the eight figures. The houses Carl and I live in are both near where the old Roosevelt Raceway was in Westbury", referring to the harness racetrack there that closed in 1988 and was finally torn down in 2000.  
  
"Boy do I remember spending many a night at Roosevelt on my trips to New York when I was younger. That was a good track, made a lot of money there playing the trotters", then said Joe.  
  
"That was a great place. Joseph and I were so saddened when it closed, we spent many nights in the Cloud Casino there", then said Nancy, with Ed asking, "Anyway, can we get back to the case?", and Nancy replying "Sure."  
  
Ed would then ask Nancy and Carl what they knew about Susanne Arceneaux, with Carl saying: "She was the 'rising star' of the company. She'd only been at it for two years and after she was eliminated from the show when it was taped in the spring, she was put into selling some of the top apartments in Manhattan, and was very successful. Mother and I were watching the show a week ago Sunday when she lead her team in a losing effort, and while we figured she was going to be the one let go on the show that night, we didn't expect some of the very rude and somewhat racist comments that were made on that episode and her giving that blonde attorney the middle finger without her seeing it."  
  
"And that led her to being fired for real?", then asked Ed, with Carl replying, "It did, as my father was concerned having her there would make her a liability to the company. Many of our clients are Jewish as we are, and would probably have been offended if we kept her. Shame too, as she looked like she'd be a really good one, the kind I'd want to go out with if I weren't already married. You are aware that her attorney oddly enough is the very woman candidate she offended with her remarks on the show?"  
  
"The one who was let go this past Sunday?", then asked Ed, with Carl replying, "Yes. Janine Grossman. She actually adjusted her own television interview schedule that all the candidates go through after they are seen being let go on the show in order to come to the main office and inform my father that they were looking at legal action for what they consider an unjust firing. I was there, and was shocked to see her representing Susanne."  
  
With that, Joe and Ed are done with Nancy and Carl Friedman. Given the late hour, the Detectives call it a night, resuming early the next morning by going to see Janine Grossman at her office in Manhattan, where to their surprise they find her with Susanne Arceneaux, with both dressed in dark, knee-lengths skirt suits with white, open-collared blouses and pumps that matched the suits.  
  
"Surprise, Surprise. We were expecting someone to look for us", said Janine to the Detectives upon seeing them.  
  
"You obviously know what happened", Ed then said to Janine and Susanne, with Susanne replying, "Of course. That was so sad that happened, and the way it did. I know he fired me and why, and I'm sure you heard a mouthful from his wife Arlene over what happened", with Janine then putting up her hand, telling Susanne to stop, which she did.  
  
"You had to I'm sure, Detectives", then said Janine, who then saw the facial reactions of the Detectives that said they did get a lot from Arlene without either of them saying so. After not talking for a minute, Janine then continued by saying: "From what Susanne told me, Arlene would walk in and at times give her and some of the other women there some very nasty looks."  
  
"That was the case. I was only there for two years, so they were already married, but I could not see how Mr. Friedman would fall for her.", then said Susanne.  
  
Joe then asked Janine why she was representing Susanne in spite of what happened on the show, with Janine replying: "On the show, we were all competing for the same job in the end. While yes, we did work as teams and got some nice rewards, the main goal was to stay on as long as we could. The task we lost where Susanne was fired was the second straight loss for us, and she was frustrated. What aired on the show was done in a way that made Susanne to be a much nastier person than I discovered later she really is."  
  
Susanne then said to the detectives, "She's right about my having been frustrated. I did some things I should not have at the time, and when I saw her at where those who were eliminated were sent to after they were until the show ended taping for the season, the first thing I did was apologize for my behavior as I knew I was wrong. Luckily, Janine forgave me immediately and we got to know each other well enough to where she's now my attorney. As a matter of fact, we have to get out of here as we're supposed to this morning tape a segment for this coming Sunday's show explaining what happened a week ago Sunday", which Janine then confirmed was the case.  
  
(continued in part two)


	2. Part Two

Title: "Real Reality"

Author: Walt  
  
Disclaimers and set-up: See Part One.  
  
With that, the Detectives go to see M.E. Rogers, who confirms what the Detectives had already suspected: He was shot three times, probably at close range, and with two of the bullets going completely through him, exiting through the back. With little else on that end, they then return to the crime scene to talk with employees who worked at the firm. Several who work on the floor where Mr. Friedman was shot noted how none of them liked his second wife Arlene at all, and most of them then noted how on the occasions when both Joseph's ex-wife Nancy and now-widow Arlene were there, Joseph had to come out and break up shouting matches between the two, and also when Carl came by to see his father when Arlene was there.  
  
"No wonder Carl said what he did about his stepmother. I'd probably too if I had a stepmother who was that mean to me", Ed said to Joe as the Detectives headed for the elevators, ready to leave the building when two men dressed in matienece uniforms talk to the Detectives. Both say they were there that night and remembered seeing Susanne running through the hallway.  
  
"It was definitely Ms. Arceneaux. She had long, flowing dark hair, and I remember it swishing through as she ran past", said one of the men, who identified himself as Bernard Lewis.  
  
"She ran so fast, I wanted to ask her if I could take her somewhere to console her", then said the other, who identified himself as Vijay Gharluah.  
  
The detectives then look at surveilence cameras from the night before that indeed show a woman with a hairstyle similar to Susanne's going into and out of the victim's office right around the apparent time of the shooting. As they subsequently left the building, the run into the two cleaning ladies they first interviewed the night before (Jeanne and Horatia) who both then also say they saw a woman who's hair looked like Susanne's. They then catch a break when they are summoned back to the office that Susanne occupied there, and it turned out a gun with Susanne's prints was found there, with in turn that matching the bullets that were in Joseph Friedman's body.  
  
With that, Joe and Ed head for the still-new Madison Tower that takes up the entire block of 41st-42nd streets on Madison Avenue, where the (fictional version of "The Apprentice") is filmed. Susanne and Janine are coming out of the building together, when the Detectives arrest Susanne for the murder of Joseph Friedman.  
  
"Are you crazy?!" Janine yelled to the Detectives as Susanne was led into their car, with Janine immediately headed for the 2-7 to talk to the Detectives. The Detectives, Susanne and Janine are next in the interrogation room talking about what happened while Jack and Anita looked outside.  
  
Ed said to Susanne, "We found the gun in your old office Ms. Arceneaux. The bullets matched in Mr. Friedman matched those the gun uses.!"  
  
"What gun are you talking about:? I have one in my purse that was a replacement for a gun of mine that I reported stolen two months ago", then said Susanne.  
  
"Can you prove that?", asked Joe, with Susanne replying "Yes, you can check with the proper authorities. I have cards on file for both the original gun's registration as well as the gun that replaced the one I reported stolen."  
  
"And she told me all about her gun being stolen when it happened as well as when she got the replacement.", then said Janine, with Susanne then saying, "That is correct. Many of the realtors at the company carry both guns and mace for protection, especially after a case about two years before I began working there where one of the women showed a man an apartment, with it turning out the man really did it to because he wanted to rape her."  
  
"I remember that. That woman only escaped because she maced him and held him at bay with a gun while she called the cops", Joe then said.  
  
"Exactly", then said Susanne.  
  
While the Detectives are interrogating Susanne further (including noting the witnesses), word comes in that an elevator had broken down at the building where the realty company is located, with what was in the elevator shaft of interest to the Detectives, who return to the building.  
  
"This better be good", said Joe to the Security Guard who actually made the call to police of what was found.  
  
"It may very well be", said the guard as they walked to the shaft of the elevator that was broken.  
  
"Whoa. Another gun, with a silencer on it. Looks like it was fired not that long ago", said Ed.  
  
"Maybe last night?", asked Joe.  
  
"Very possible", replied Ed, who then spotted something else and said "Look what we got here. A wig of long, dark hair", lifting such from the ground and showing Joe.  
  
"A wig that has a hairstyle very similar to one Susanne Arceneaux", then said Joe, with his then ordering to forensics to have it examinined in case hairs could be found to see if it was possible to see who really killed Joseph Friedman, as they realized it was not Susanne who did it.  
  
The Detectives get a break when Jeanne and Horatia are at the 2-7 when the Detectives return.  
  
"We have to admit that we lied earlier when we said we saw a woman with long, dark hair running through the hallways that looked like Ms. Arceneaux", said Jeanne, with Horatia following by saying " we got phone calls early this morning from Arlene Friedman, telling us we had to say that a woman with long, dark hair like Ms. Arceneaux was running through the halls or we'd be fired immediately."  
  
"Is that the truth?", then said Ed.  
  
"Yes. She was there this morning, moving around some things", then said Jeanne.  
  
"Thank you", then said Ed, who along with Joe returned to the interrogation room as did Jack and Anita, who noted to the Detectives that both women had been silent the entire time the dectectives had been investigating.  
  
"So, you went to find more evidence?", said Janine in a very sarcastic manner.  
  
Anita then said to Janine and Susanne, "Actually, we want to apologize for what happened here. We have new evidence that it was not the gun with your prints that killed Joseph Friedman, but actually another gun that happened to be the same kind as the one you had that was stolen that actually did that. We also think that whoever stole your gun knew who you were and was planning this all along."  
  
At that point, Susanne's face drops to the table before coming back up, with her telling all in the room in a shocked tone, "Oh my god! Arlene Friedman must have been planning to kill Mr. Friedman and have me framed for it!", then covering her face with her hands as that was sinking in, putting her head on the table once again. While that was happening, the forensic report comes back that confirms that hair samples on the inside of the wig suggest the person weaing the wig actually had super-short, dark hair.  
  
"Who do we know that has super-short hair like what they found?", said Ed.  
  
"Let me guess", then said Joe, with Jack then going to get a warrant for the arrest of Arlene Friedman as the Detectives head for the funeral home where the Friedman family were on Madison Avenue and 81st street. The Detectives arrive just as Arlene was coming out with family and friends, not really surprised she was arrested for Joseph's murder.  
  
At arraignment court, Arlene's attorney Trevor Langdon enters a not guilty plea for his client, while Serena says to the Judge, "The People request she be held without bail"  
  
Trevor responded with "My client is mourning the loss of her husband at this time", with Serena then interrupting by saying "A loss she inflicted by brutally murdering him, and on top of that attempting to frame another woman for the crime she committed, including threatening two women with being fired if they didn't lie." The Judge had enough and orded Arlene held without bail for not only first degree murder, but with additional charges of witness tampering.  
  
While Arlene was being arraigned, word comes in that Bernard Lewis and Vijay Gharluah (the two matenince men whom Joe and Ed spoke to earlier in the day) were both arrested in Queens on an outstanding warrant, with it turnining out their real names were Joseph Simone and Rajab Nirupa, who apparently had robberd a store in Manhattan a year earlier. They had been recognized by a uniformed officer at the crime scene who remembered seeing photos of those two at the time of the robberies the Detectives were unaware of.  
  
Jack and Serena are then consulting over what happened when Jessica Sheets and Wendy Weiss both walk in.  
  
"What are you two doing here?", asked Jack to the female Legal Aid lawyers, as Jack knows about the two witnesses being arrested, with there also now being evidence that they were actually accomplices of Arlene's in helping her make it look like Susanne Arceneaux murdered Joseph Friedman.  
  
"Both of our clients may have something for you that would be of interest to the case against Arlene Friedman", said Jessica to Jack, with his asking, "And what would that be?"  
  
Wendy then said to Jack, "They are willing to testify that Arlene Friedman paid both of them a substantial sum to help make it look like Susanne Arceneaux murdered Joseph Friedman if you give them immunity on any charges that might come out of their being accomplices to this ."  
  
"I'll have to hear what they have to say before I agree to any deals", then said Jack.  
  
"Of course", then said Jessica as both attorneys left.  
  
At Rikers, Jack is talking with Trevor and Arlene while Serena is talking with the two accomplices.  
  
"I want to make clear now, the only thing I will do is make it 20-life instead of the death penalty if she makes a deal before my assistant can make a deal with the two men claiming to be her accomplies", said Jack to Arlene.  
  
"No way! That tramp killed him", replied Arlene in an emplatic manner.  
  
Jack then countered by saying, "I would be careful. I can potentially add bribery and two additional counts of witness tampering if you'd like, making it even if you didn't get the needle, you'd at least be in jail for probably the rest of your life. We know that those people who first claimed to see Ms. Arceneaux in the building when she killed your husband lied, and two of them have already admitted to such."  
  
"You can't prove that Jack. Maybe they felt bad for Ms Arceneaux and had a bias against my client", then said Trevor to Jack.  
  
"I don't think so", Jack replied.  
  
While that was going on, Serena was talking with Joseph Simone and Rajab Nirupa, the two men who were arrested on unrelated charges and now also faced being co-consipators in this case (with their attorneys present). Both agree to testify against Arlene, saying she did pay them a considerable sum to help make it look like Susanne Arceneaux did it.  
  
With that, Jack ended talks with Arlene, with the case going to trial. Before the trial, Trevor would try to get eveidence suppressed, but in this case, everything was done by the book.  
  
At trial, it would be all downhill for Arlene, especially after several witnesses said that the main reason Joseph married Arlene in the first place was because "she's a 'sex machine', and many times could be heard making out with Mr. Friedman in a disgusting way, especially late at night", as several put it. One went as far as to say they had a "groanfest" every night at times.  
  
Joseph Simone and Rajab Nirupa then both testified that Arlene paid both of them a considerable sum to help her frame Susanne for Joseph's murder. This included playing a tape that Joseph made in case he was caught:  
  
On the tape, Maria said to Joseph and Rajab: "Susanne Arceneaux has to someone be taken out of the picture. That btch probably is going to at some point suck up to Joseph to the point where he'll leave me for her and I won't get his money. The only way it can be done is to kill Joseph and make it look like Susanne did it."  
  
"You mother (expletive)", yelled Arlene as she got up and attempted to charge the bench, only to be restrained and then schackled, with a stern warning from Judge Pongriac that if she didn't behave herself, she would be removed at once.  
  
The tape continued to be played, with Arlene on it saying, "Only reason I married that old fart was so I could get his money, which is mine either after seven years or if he croaks. I'm sure he's got Susanne in his pants the way he's buying all those ads for her, and she has to be eliminated from contention before I lose out.:"  
  
That was enough for the jury to find her guilty on all counts, and a week later sentence Arlene to death. Per a portion of her prenuptual agreement, because she was found guilty of murdering Joseph, Arlene would have to forfeit all monies due her upon his death. Joseph's family, Susanne and Janine were among those there for both her being found guilty and then being sentenced to death, with Richard Madison also there for the guilty verdict and entire penalty phase.  
  
Upon Arlene's being sentenced to death, a press conference is held outside the Supreme Court building at 60 Centre Street on a unseasonably warm Friday afternoon in late January (temperatures in the low 60s). First to speak were Nancy and Carl Friedman, along with Susanne Arceneaux and Janine Grossman:  
  
Nancy would speak first:"It's so sad a man's life like my ex-husband's had to end at the hands of a greedy woman who cared about only two things, sex and money. I wished he had realized what Arlene Abbatiello really was before he divorced me, but at least justice is being served in her heading for death row. It's also unfair what happened to Ms. Arceneaux, and while this trial was going we, we went ahead and gave her a substantial settlement as it was really unfair what happened to her, especially since Ms. Abbatiello was likely going to try and frame Ms. Arceneaux even if what happened on the show didn't happen."  
  
Carl then chimed in by saying to the reporters, "So you know, my mother and I have always referred to Arlene Abbatiello by that name. She never in our opinion to be allowed to used the Friedman name because of the way she walked in and ruined our lives, and even more so now trying to ruin others."  
  
Susanne was then asked by reporters how satisfactory the settlement was, with her awnsering by saying "Enough to more than compensate for what happened here. I admit I was wrong in my behavior on the show, but that was in the heat of battle as noted in the segment Janine and I taped the day I was arrested before Arlene rightfully was for what happened to Mr. Friedman", with Janine then adding "She's right. As the one eliminated the very next week, I never realized until we saw the shows how intense we all were during our time on it. That's why I was so quick to represent Susanne as soon as she was fired for real, as has since been proven what really went on here. I got to learn the real Susanne Arceneaux is nothing like what was on the show."  
  
Reporters than asked Susanne was she was now going to do, with her replying: "I'm going to take several months off to clear my head after everything that's happened, and then in September I'm going to start law school at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Madison offered to pay my way, including making sure I'm able to live well while doing so as I expressed an interest in going to law school and becoming an attorney even before this mess happened", with Richard then saying to the reporters "That is correct. She expressed an interest in it to the producers during the time she was on after seeing some of the attorneys who were candidates on the show, saying as much as she enjoyed showing apartments, seeing how important the legal aspect is to this country she wanted to eventually make enough money that she could go to law school and become an attorney herself. I'm happy to help her in this case, especially given what she went through as a result of Arlene Friedman."  
  
Jack and Serena watched the entire press conference without speaking, and then while staying silent walked back to the DA's Office.  
  
The final scene takes place 10 days later in the DA's Office, with Jack and Arthur talking about how they both saw the finale of "Madison's Protege" that had been delayed nearly two months at the request of Richard Madison and some network executives because of the situations invoving Arlene Friedman and her murder trial and what turned out to be a settlement in the lawsuit between Susanne Arceneaux and Joseph Friedman Realtors.  
  
"Guess this was a case of 'Real Reality', or where a real circus comes out of a so-called 'reality' program.", said Arthur to Jack.  
  
Jack would reply by saying, "Sure. They can thank Arlene Friedman's greed for causing the delay, and I'm sure they are going to be more careful in how they present everyone in the future", with Arthur then replying, "Quite everyone where I live saw it last night, and they loved how in the end, the right person got to be 'Madison's Protege' for what that's worth."  
  
"That is worth a lot. Half a million guaranteed for a year, which he actually doubled because of the delay caused by everything else going on, and a chance to earn a lot more if he proves to be worthwhile", then said Jack.  
  
"And the losers probably will do well too. This group will be remembered for a long time", then said Arthur to Jack as Serena then walks in, looking a bit grim as Jack asks what was going on.  
  
Serena then said, "They were transporting Arlene Friedman to Bedford when on the bus she was on, four other women ganged up on her and beat her to death, breaking a lot of bones in her body and fracturing her skull."  
  
"And you'd think women would not do that, though at least that saves us 10 years of appeals in all likelyhood", said Arthur, clearly surprised at hearing that Arlene had been savagely beaten to death.  
  
"I'm sure Mrs. Friedman, her son and Susanne Arceneaux are shedding a few tears.....NOT!", then said Serena, with Jack and Arthur agreeing before they head to work on other matters.  
  
THE END  
  
Walt


End file.
